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OLD 



HIGHWAYS AND LA5FM 



Groton Mas aCHUSetts, 



FRANi ■, MARION BOUTWELL 



(J EOT ON: 

' M S 4 . 



OLD 



HIGHWAYS AND LANDMARKS 



Groton, Massachusetts 



FRANCIS MARION BDUTWELL, 




GROTON: 

1884. 



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A- 



G^"^ 






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To THE Memory of 



To -whose clear recollection of persons long since passed away, and of 

events -ivJiich occurred even before the birth of most pei-- 

sons nozv livinff, I am indebted for much 

valuable information relating to the 

early history of the town, 

THESE CHAPTERS ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. 



Note. — Miss Farn.sworth was born October 19, 1792, and died February 2, iS 



^^ 



CHAPTEK I 



OLD HIGHWAYS. 



From an examination of the records I find that there are 
many miles of road now in use in Groton, that were laid out 
two hundred years ago or more. 

Hollis street from the first meeting-house, or near the 
present site of my father's barns, south and to its intersection 
with Main street, the latter south of the corner of Hollis, and 
the Boston road certainly as far as the present site of Ridge 
Hill Tavern, seem to have constituted the main, and no doubt 
the original highway of the town. This piece of road appears 
to have been in existence before the twenty-third of June, 
1662, the date of the first record of which we have knowl- 
edge, for I find no account of its being laid out. I am also 
firmly of the opinion that fully twelve families, or nearly one- 
quarter of the inhabitants, were living upon this section of 
road within the first twenty-five years after the settlement of 
the town. This latter fact, which an examination of my 
pamphlet upon the Old Homesteads of Groton will show, 
seems to be very good proof that this road has existed in the 
main as it now exists, from the very beginning. The present 
Boston road was originally known as the Bay highway, 
because it led to Massachusetts Bay. 

Our first settlers laid out many of the highways six rods in 
width, and hardly any were less than four rods. Hollis street 
in many places, especially near the Cliampney place, and 
Main street and the Boston road, still bear the marks of this 
elaborate l)eginning. 



The road now known as Chicopee Row has been in use 
fully two centuries ; also the highway running from the 
cemetery as far as the Nashua River, at the present village of 
East Pepperell (Bahbitassett). All this latter territory has 
been included within the limits of Groton, since the memory 
of the present generation. This road appears to have been 
built in three sections, and at three diffei-ent times. It was 
first laid out from the present Hollis street to the house of 
William Longley, the father of William Longley in memory of 
whose family the monument upon the farm of Zachariah Fitch 
was erected. But father and son both occupied the same 
farm. The road was next extended as far as the four corners 
at the foot of the hill north of the house of Zachariah Fitch, 
and these four corners were then formed, for the road from 
the four corners at " Nod " to Reedy Meadow seems to have 
been built before the time that the road was extended beyond 
William Longley's house, and the section between the four 
corners first mentioned and the river at East Pepperell was 
built subse(piently, but at an early period. 

The present Martin's Pond road from the corner of Hollis 
street to the north side of Baddacook Pond, is probably one 
of the very oldest highways in town. It led from the old 
meeting-house to the region called in the records Baddacook 
Woods. When this road was first l)uilt the end near the 
raeeting-liouse was fenced, and bars had to be taken down 
whenever a team passed. 

The road leading from Hollis street, near the house of 
Charles A, Murphy, was laid out first as far as the house then 
occupied by Richard Blood, which was, no doubt, near the 
site of the house known as the Captain William Shattuck 
place, now unoccupied. This road cut through the farm of 



Joseph Gilson, who lived near the site of the present house 
of Charles A. Murphy. Mr. Murphy's recent purchase of the 
Champney place probably reunites, in a measure at least, the 
original estate of Joseph Gilson. The lower portion of this 
road, from the house of Richard Blood to the four corners 
at " Nod," and also the road from Nod to Reedy Meadow, 
were not laid out until a few years later at least than the road 
between Mr. Murphy's and the Captain Shattuck place. 
There seem to have been patlis only at first from the house 
of Richard Blood to that of John Lakin, aad thence to 
James Blood's, which latter two men lived near the four 
corners and upon the road from JNod to Reedy Meadow respect- 
ively. I am satisfied that my statement in regard to these 
two latter roads is substantially correct, and thus the theory 
is dispelled that the first meeting-house was originally at 
Nod — for it seems probable that, as our early settlers had 
roads elsewhere, they would certainly have had one leading 
to their meeting-house. 

What was known in my boyhood as the Bi-eak-neck road, 
leading from the East Pepperell road, near the house of 
Amos P. Carlton, to the Captain William Shattuck place 
before mentioned, is an old highway. 

Among the very early roads was one which seems to have 
been a semi-private way. This left Hollis street, near the 
present site of my father's farm-houses, and passed along the 
eastern l)ase of the hill upon which his barns are situated. 
This road seems to have been built originally for the accom- 
modation of Timothy Cooper, who appears to have owned a 
piece of land bordering on the west side of Martin's Pond 
road, and running back toward Half-moon Meadow. At a 
later period Timothy Allen, the first sexton of the town, seems 



8 



to have had his house upon this lot. What I believe to be a 
portion of this old cross-road is still in existence and used by 
my father as a farm road. It was fenced at its junction with 
the present Hollis street, as in the case of Martin's Pond road. 

The roads at present known as School, Elm, and Pleasant 
streets from the corner of Elm to Farmers' Row, the last 
named road in its entire length, and the road passing through 
the Community, as far as the house on the Pollard place, all 
seem to have formed a part of the Lancaster highway, and 
are probably more than two hundred years old. Instead of 
raaii;ing the two turns, one at the Pollard place and the other 
at the Major Amos Farnsworth place, (now owned by Solo- 
mon Achorn,) as it does now, the road ran directly down to 
the Nashua River from near the site of the Pollard house. 
It then ran up the right bank of the stream, crossed l)y a 
ford about a mile above the present site of Page's Bridge, 
and so on to Lancaster. 

The late Elizabeth Farnsworth is my authority upon the 
location of the Lancaster highway. Her grandfather Farns- 
worth, as well as her father, lived upon the farm now owned 
by Solomon Achorn. The old house occupied by her grand- 
parents, however, stood just below the present site of Mr. 
Achorn's barn. Miss Farnsworth's grandmother she well 
remembered, and the former lad}" recollected well the old 
highway. From the foregoing statement as to tlie situation 
of the old Farnsworth liouse, it is obvious that it stood back 
from the old road just aljout the distance from the present 
barn of Mr. Achorn to the Pollard house. Miss Farnsworth's 
grandmother gave hei* an interesting account of the difficulty 
experienced l)y her husband, in sev^eral successive town-meet- 
ings, of convincing the citizens that it was their duty to 



change the course of the Lancaster highway so that it should 
pass his door. The peculiar elbow in the road at present, is 
proof of the success of his efforts. A most casual observa- 
tion shows that the town finally built about one-half mile of 
new and indirect road in place of a direct one, for the single 
purpose of passing one man's house. Those of us who are 
familiar with the exciting town-meeting debates of the present 
day, can easilj^ imagine the warm discussions upon this propo- 
sition, the success of which speaks well for Mr. Farnsworth's 
will and determination. 

A perusal of the foregoing pages shows the great impor- 
tance which the early settlers in our New England towns 
placed upon their house of worship. It was to them the 
centre of all things. 

The first meeting-house probably stood upon the high land 
now belonging to my father, l)etween his barns and Hollis 
street, and it is evident that most of the roads thus far 
described, radiated, as it were, from this central point. h\ 
fact most of the votes for laying out these roads, as they 
are found recorded, begin thus : " Beginning at the meeting- 
house,''' tfec. 

Until comparatively recent years the meeting-house in a 
small New England town was the only public building, except 
the district school-house, which was not large, and thus unfit 
for any but small gatherings. And the meeting-house was 
the place for holding town, and other meetings. Our present 
town-house was the first building ever erected or owned by 
the town for the ordinary purposes of a town hall, and this 
building dates back only to November, 1859. Before that 
time a large room under the old (Unitarian) meeting-house 
was used for town-meetings, and known as the town hall. 



10 

Liberty Hall, which was situated upon the site at present 
occupied by the store of Thomas K. Stevens, though private 
property, could be hired for public purposes. 

The New England Puritans adhered to the policy of sup- 
porting the church with the public funds, and the meeting- 
houses were originally built and the churches supported wuth 
the town money. This being the case the meeting-houses 
were public property, and could be used for such purposes as 
the town might clioose. 

There was, no doubt, always a road from the main street 
as far as rhe house now owned by Joseph F. Hall, for in the 
very early days of the town that farm was occupied by 
Natlianiel Lawrence, an ancestor of Amos and Abbott Law- 
rence, vvlio subsequently bought the farm now owned by 
William Peabody, upon wliich latter place Abbott Lawrence's 
father and grandfather were both born. The road to 
Nathaniel Lawrence's first house may have been the same 
which now passes the south side of the Unitarian meeting- 
house, but this is not certain ; it may have left the main 
street farther north, near where the hotel stands. 

In earl}^ times tliere was a road, long since discontiimed, 
whicli left the present Lowell road near the house of 
Nathaniel Lawrence, (the Joseph F. Hall place,) and followed 
along the western base of Gibbet Hill until it connected 
with the Martin's Pond road near where tlie latter crosses 
James's Brook. There seems to have been but one house 
upon this highway, and that was the home of Nathaniel 
Bh>od. 

The road now known as Love Lane, and its extension east 
as far as Brown Loaf, is a very old highway. Though the 
Lowell road east of Joseph F. llalFs house is very old. 



11 

at least for several miles, it does not appear to liav^e been 
built for some time after the settlement of the town. 

The Broad Meadow road, which leaves Main street be- 
tween the houses of Charles Gerrish and of the late Ben- 
jamin P. Dix, is very old until it reaches the meadow, and 
so is also the west end of the same highway from Farmers' 
Row to the meadow, but the early settlers did not incur the 
expense of building roads upon soft meadow land, if it could 
be avoided ; and in this case it was not necessary, for the 
records make it evident that the east end at least, of this 
road, was built originally to enable the farmers to get hay 
from Broad Meadow. It may have been for the same reason 
that the west end was laid out, but in the latter case the 
object, in part at least, might have been to provide Joseph 
Parker with means of going to Farmers' Row, then the 
Lancaster highway, which was Iiis only way of getting from 
his home. His house seems to have stood upon the James 
Farnsworth place, now owned by Prescott Lawernce. 

The i"oad called in the records the Mill highway is no 
other than the section of the present road from Groton 
to Ayer, between the corner near the residence of the late 
John G. Park and the corner of the Ayer and Harvard 
roads, a short distance S(mth of the present house of Sumner 
Graves, in Ayer. The old road beyond this latter point 
is the present Harvard road. This highway was built to 
enable the inhabitants of Groton to go to their grist-mill, 
wliich was upon the stream near the present Harvard town 
farm. This was indeed a long distance to go to mill 
through an Indian country, but as all the machinery, in- 
cluding the mill-stones, had to be imported, a mill was a 
very expensive thing to build and maintain, in proportion 



12 



to the resources available for the purpose. Because of 
these facts, it was probably thought uecessary that the 
building should be so situated as to accorarnodate as many 
persons as possil)le, and it is likely that by having it where 
the}' did, some of the inhabitants of Lancaster could avail 
themselves of its beneiits. The town of Harvard was not 
then in existence, and the mill was within the limits of 
Groton. 

The Mill highway, as originally laid out, was six rods witle, 
except the section along by the hill upon wliich the houses of 
AViliiam Peabody and Charles Jacobs stand, as far as the 
crossing of James's Brook, near the house of Henry M. Gaut. 
This part of the road was but four rods wide, because of the 
fact that the hill came so near to the valley of James's Brook 
as to render a wider way impracticable. Evidences of the 
great width of this road are still plainly visible, noticeably 
near the house of the late Stuart J. Park, and also upon the 
high land near the present residence of Sumner Graves. It 
is ol)vious that the road for some distance south of the hill 
below Mr. Graves's place must of necessity have been quite 
narrow, but the records show the fact that the road was but 
four rods in width upon tlie section first mentioned. 

The road leading from the old road to Ayer at a point 
near School-house No. 2, to the road formerly the Mill 
highway, and intersecting with the latter just at the foot 
of the hill south of the house of Sumner Graves, is very old, 
and was built to furnish a direct way to the mill for the men 
living upon the present Farmers' Row, and in that vicinity. 

The Snake Hill road, so called, which leaves the road to 
Ayer at a point a short distance south of the house of Henry 
M. Gaut, was l>uilt very early, and partly at least for the pur- 



13 

pose of enaliliiig farmers to get hay from the south and east 
portions of Koek Meadow, which is described in the next 
chapter. Miss FaviiSM^orth once told me, however, that Mat- 
thias Farnsworth, the father of Matthias who lived upon the 
farm now occupied by Henry M. Gaut, lived near Sandy 
Pond, so it is possible that this road might have been built 
for his accommodation, at least in part. It is now mostly in 
Ayer, and but little used. 

The highway which we know as the old road to Ayer, 
leading from the south end of Farmers' Row, past the house 
of Nathan F. Culver, is a very old highway. It is probable 
that this was the way for going to Nonacoicus, which was 
near the present village of Ayer, and the road may have 
been in use before Groton was burned by the Indians. 

Major Simon Willard, the father of Rev. Samuel Willard, 
and the commanding othcer of the troops in this region dur- 
ing the early part of King Philip's war, lived at Nonacoicus. 
Major Willard's house was burned at the time the town was 
destroyed, in March, 1676, when he removed to Charlestown, 
and died in a short time. It is hardly necessary to say that 
Nonacoicus was a part of Groton. 

The road which intersects with the old road to Ayer at a 
point just south of where the above-named road crosses James's 
Brook, and which extends across to the road from Groton to 
Shirley, is an old highway. Also, the road leading from Far- 
mers' Row along the south end of James Lawrence's farm, 
certainly as far as the river, is very old, and probably was in 
use on the west side of the river at an early day, for there 
was a ford just below the present Red Bridge, and a begin- 
ning was made to lay out the lands west of the river as early 
as the year 1681. 



14 

The Russell road, so called in old times, was discontinued 
many years ago. It left the road from Groton to Ayer at a 
point very near where the house on the Sumner Boynton 
place (now belonging to AV^illiam H. Drake) stands, and 
went across to the old road to Ayer, intersecting with the 
latter at a short distance above School-house No. 2. There 
are marks of the road still to be seen at its west end, and 
at the eastern end back of Mr. Drake's house, where the 
road is now quite a good one, and is used for his farm 
teaming. This road is also plainly visible from the railroad. 

The highway which intersects with the Boston I'oad just 
south of Andrew Robljins's farm-house, and leads to Brown 
Loaf, is very old ; as is the road leading from Ridge Hill 
Tavern certainly as far as the Pierce place, as well as the 
one which connects with the latter at a sliort distance east of 
the Pierce place, and joins the Boston road at a point nearly 
opposite to the house formerly known as the Blodgett place. 
The road leading from the tavern above mentioned, through 
the present Forge Village, and so on to Chelmsford, is one of 
the oldest in town. It was originally known as the Chelms- 
ford highway. 

Tlie highway which leaves the road from Groton to Ayer, 
near the Eber Woods place, now ow^ned l>y John McGilson, 
and leads to Farmers' Row, is very old as far as Broad 
Meadow End, described in the next chapter, or to a point just 
west of the present highway bridge over the i-ailroad. This 
piece of road was originally built, as were several others 
before mentioned, to enable farmers to get their hay, but it 
was extended past tlie place now owned by Jackson N. 
Potter, known as the Stephen Kendall place, to its intersec- 
tion with Farmers' Row, at a very eai-ly day, certainly as 



15 

soon as the early part of the last century, when John Longley 
was living on the Stephen Kendall place, and Benjamin 
Farnsworth resided on the opposite side of the same road, 
l)ut nearer to Farmers' Row. 

The end of Broad Meadow, above referred to, was spanned 
by a bridge in those days, no doubt to save the expense of 
filling such soft land, which then had probably not been 
drained at all, and was of course much more wet even than 
now. The structure, after a while, received the name of Swill 
Bridge, and I once leai-ned from Miss Elizabeth Farnsworth 
the reason which she had heard alleged for this peculiar name. 
The following is the story, which I will preface by stating 
that John Longley, before mentioned, was Miss Farnsworth's 
great-grandfather, and that she remembered well her grand- 
mother Farnsworth, who was Mr. Longley's daughter Lydia ; 
and so we get this account thus directly from Lydia Longley 
Farnsworth, who was born on the Stephen Kendall place in 
1716. 

During tlie first quarter of the last century, or perhaps until 
a later day, there was a fortified house near the site of the 
present Eber Woods house, and at times of Indian alarm Mr. 
Longley placed his live-stock, and, among other animals, hogs, 
at the fort for safety. From Miss Farnsworth's account it 
seems that it was in the winter, and during such an alarm, 
that Mr. Longley had placed some hogs at the fort for 
safety, and was obliged to carry swill to them. As he 
crossed the bridge he naturally spilled more or less of the 
swine-food, and in the spring the spots were of course visible, 
and thus from this trivial cause the bridge derived its name, 
by which it has ever since been remembered. 



CHAPTER II 



OLD LANDMARKS. 



Gibbet Hill, Brown Loaf, Broad Meadow, Half-Moon 
Meadow, Reedj Meadow, James's Brook and Hawtree Brook 
have borne these names ever since the settlement of the town, 
but there are names found in the records, whicli, to most of 
the inhabitants of the present day, are unintelligible. To 
these names I hav^e given some careful attention and study, 
and venture to make known the result of my investigation. 

The Indian Hill or the Indian Hills (both terms being used 
in the records) were probably one and the same, and the 
names seem to refer to the entire rano;e of hills extendins: 
from and including the hill opposite to the house of Charles 
Jacobs, all the way to and including the hill upon which the 
house of Captain Moses P. Palmer stands. 

Shepley Hill, mentioned in the records, is the range of hills 
extending in a northerly direction from the soapstone quarr}', 
along the western base of which the Worcester and Nashua 
railroad runs. 

Ferny Meadow is the large tract of low land on the high- 
way which leads from the Boston road, nearly opposite to 
the house of Captain Moses P. Palmer, to Brown Loaf. 
This meadow extends along the south and southeast side of 
this road from near the Boston road, for quite a distance. 

Rock Meadow is no doubt the one, the northwest end of 
which borders on the road leading from Groton to Hai-vard, 
and just over the hill south of the corner where the Harvard 



17 

road leaves the road from Groton to Ayer. This is a large 
tract of land, and is now entirely in the town of Ayer. 

Flaggy Meadow is situated east of the highway leading 
from tlie old Captain Noah Shattnck place, now owned by the 
heirs of the late Captain William Shattnck, to the north side 
of Baddacook Pond. This meadow is near the house of 
Henry P. Shattnck, which stands in the tield away from the 
road, and it forms a part of his farm. It is certain that this 
is the meadow referred to in the records, for Mr. George D, 
Brigham, the town-clerk, has told me that when calling at 
Mr. Shattuck's a few years since. Flaggy Meadow was men- 
tioned hy some one of the family as being a part of their 
farm ; and when Mr. Brigliam asked where it was, he was 
told that it is the low land which partly surrounds their 
house. It seems that the name had been handed down 
through the different owners of that estate, but had long 
been lost to public knowledge. 

Little Half -Moon Meadow is situated between the Martin's 
Pond road and the knoll in my father's meadow east of his 
barns, which knoll is called by the farmers in the neighbor- 
hood '• the Island," and has been so called from the early 
days of tlie town. An examination of the locality will show 
the reason why this little meadow was given the name it 
bears. One of the points of the half-moon is the strip of 
meadow between the high land upon which Andrew Spaul- 
ding's farm barn stands, and the Island, and the other point 
passes between the west end of tlie Island and the high land 
npon which my father's barns are situated. Both of these 
points pass through and unite with Half-Moon Meadow west 
of the Island. This knoll is entirely surrounded by Half- 
Moon and Little Half-Moon Meadows, and hence its name. 



18 



The Unquetenori^et Meadows are the low lands along the 
brook at the north part of the town, now known by the 
name of Unquetj, which is a contraction of the full name 
Unqnetenorset, by which it was originall}' called. 

I am of the opinion that Qnosoponagon Meadow is the 
large tract of low^ land near the Captain John Rockwood 
house in Squannacook. This meadow is on l^oth sides of 
the road, just east of the house, and forms a part of that 
farm. But in this opinion I may be in error. 

Broad Meadow End seems to have been the name given 
to the narrow portion of Broad Meadow at its southerly 
end, near the present highway bridge ovei' the Worcester 
and Nashua railroad, south of the station. 

In this connection it may not be out of place to consider 
the reason why in New England we give a different meaning 
to the word meadow from that affixed to it in England. 
There the word is applied to all mowing land whethei- low 
or high, but here we call all low land meadow. The reason 
no doubt is that the lii-st settlers in this country found 
the high land covered, for the most part, with heavy timber, 
and for a few men, with few and poor teams and tools, to 
reduce this land to a condition for cultivation, was very hard, 
slow work. But hay with which to feed their cattle in winter, 
was an immediate necessity. The low lands being usually 
covered with brush and small trees only, could be easily 
burned over, and with the ashes thus produced, serving as a 
fertilizer, grass, though no doubt generally of a wild and poor 
character, was raised. The records of this and other towns 
show that meadow laud was a choice possession, granted to 
the inhabitants in small lots, and often in the outskirts of the 
town, no man having a large piece of this land in any one 



19 



place, unless, perchance, he were possessed of so much money, 
as was tlie case with Captain James Parker, as to enable him 
to pay rates (taxes) upon a large tract of this valuable land. 
Captain Parker, being well off, owned a large portion of 
Half-Moon Meadow, and also a great part of Broad Meadow, 
but men of less means were obliged to content tliemselves 
with small lots of meadow in widely separated sections of the 
town. Some of those who lived in the village owned small 
pieces of Rock Meadow, the situation of which I have 
described, and wei-e obliged to go haying at that long distance 
from home, and in an Indian country. 

The number of roads originally built to enable tlie inhabi- 
tants to get liay from the meadows of the town, as described 
in the former chapter, attests the value and importance which 
was then attached to this low land. 

Thus these Englislimen, our forefathers, referred only to 
mowing land when they used the word meadow in tlieir 
records ; but as their meadow was at lirst low land in fact, the 
generations since have given this name to all low land. 

The low tract of land at the northwestern ])ase of Brown 
Loaf, and extending from the present Lowell road to the road 
which leads from Martin's Pond to the north side of 
Baddacook Pond, was no doubt the place designated in the 
records as Brown Loaf Plain. That portion of the record 
which relates to the laying out of the road which we call 
Love Lane, and its extension easterly, makes it seem certain 
that this tract of land is Brown Loaf Plain. 

By the General Fields was probably meant the large tract 
of land bounded on the northwest by the road which passes 
through the Community, and whicli then formed a part of 
the Lancaster highway, and was also bounded in the same 



20 



direction between the present corner, near the Pollard place 
and the river, by the Lancaster highway, the old location of 
which I ha^■e described in the previous chapter. These fields 
were l)ounded on the east, southeast, and south by what is 
now known as the old road to Ayer, and they were l)ounded 
on the southwest and west either by the road leading from 
the corner south of the Benjamin Moors place to the present 
Shirley road, or they may have extended all the way to the 
river. The roads which I have mentioned were all in exist- 
ence two hundred years ago, as shown in the previous chapter.' 
This tract was common land, and was used for pasturing the 
herd composed of the cattle which belonged to the men living 
in the west and south parts of the town. As the cattle owned 
by the first settlers were pastured, for the most part, upon the 
common land, the town was divided into three sections for 
this purpose, each section having a herd, and every owner of 
stock in a section was obliged to pay his proportion of the 
expense attending the herding of the cattle in that section, 
even though one or more owners might pasture their cattle 
within their own enclosure. But in the general absence of 
fences except for enclosing cultivated land, and as prol)ably a 
good deal of this even was unfenced, the careful herding of 
the stock pastured upon the common land was considered of 
such general importance as to warrant an assessment upon all 
those who could be in any way interested. 



014 078 554 4 



